The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy maintains this blog to disseminate information relevant to astronomers who identify as women. If you have an idea for a blog post or topic, please submit to wia-blog at lists.aas.org.
The views expressed on this site are not necessarily the views of the CSWA, the AAS, its Board of Trustees, or its membership.

1. Boys need outreach, tooFrom: Hannah Jang-Condell at womeninastronomy.blogspot.comThere was a time I thought that raising a daughter to be a confident, successful scientist would be the best way to help women in science. It's become more and more clear to me that it's just as important to raise sons who respect women, too.
Read more at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2013/09/boys-need-outreach-too.htmlBack to top.2. Why So Few: High School Foundation IFrom: Joan Schmelz at womeninastronomy.blogspot.comThe 2010 report, entitled ‘Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics’, by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), describes how girls’ and women’s performance and participation in STEM fields have changed over time. Women have made tremendous progress in education and the workplace during the past 50 years, including progress in scientific and engineering fields.
To see data on course credits and course choices, please see http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2013/09/why-so-few-high-school-foundation-i.htmlBack to top.3. Why the Woman Who ‘Has It All’ Doesn’t Really ExistFrom: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]Debora Spar, author of Wonder Women and current president of Barnard College, sends a message to women: “Stop trying to be so good at everything”. In this Glamour article, Spar makes some interesting observations about how trying to have it all affects all aspects of women’s lives: from adolescence to marriage to motherhood. And it all starts when girls are young and learning about society’s beauty standards; she calculated that she will spend about five years of her life just putting on make-up and shaving her legs.
To read more, please see http://www.glamour.com/inspired/2013/08/why-women-cant-have-it-all-according-to-barnard-college-president-debora-l-sparBack to top.4. Pregnant in the lab: how does child-bearing affect a science career?From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]Jenny Rohn, a cell biologist at University College London, writes about her experiences in the lab – pregnant and trying to do science.
To read more, please see http://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/aug/22/1Back to top.5. Pioneering 19th-Century Astronomer Maria Mitchell on Education and Women in ScienceFrom: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters and Journals is freely available and a good read, too! For example, Mitchell firmly believed that “the very faculties that suited women for needlework were also what primed them to be great scientists should they choose to pursue that.”
To read more, please see http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/08/22/maria-mitchell-education-women-in-scienceBack to top.6. ‘Storming Wikipedia’ Project Tackles the Site’s ‘Women Problem’From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]Efforts continue to better represent at wikipedia.com the contributions of women in every field, from astronomy to zoology. To do this, more female editors are needed.
To learn more about this project, please see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/wikipedia-women-storming-female-editors_n_3817138.htmlBack to top.7. The Trouble With Bright GirlsFrom: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]Heidi Grant Halvorson reports on a study in which boys and girls in the 5th grade were evaluated on how well they could handle new, difficult, and confusing material. The study found that by the 5th grade, girls have given up trying to be smart – they reason that if they can’t figure out something that is foreign or complex, they will never learn it. The study further reported that girls retain these beliefs well into adulthood. The author claims, however, that skills are malleable and that persistence matters.
To read more about the results of this study, please see http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-success/201101/the-trouble-bright-girlsBack to top.8. A Conversation with Theoretical Astrophysicist, Rachel SomervilleFrom: WIPHYS, September 5, 2013Astrophysicist Rachel Somerville recently received the AAS Dannie Heinemen prize for Astrophysics, just the third woman is history to be awarded this honor. She was recognized for her work in probing the complexities of galaxies in the Universe. In this interview, she offers her thoughts on why some areas of astrophysics are underrepresented by women.
To read more, please see http://bit.ly/1cojBz1
or http://www.underthemicroscope.com/a-conversation-with-theoretical-astrophysicist-rachel-somervilleBack to top.9. NRAO Community Event at DPS MeetingFrom: Areille Moullet [amoullet_at_nrao.edu]Monday October 7th, 12-1:30pm, Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) invites you to a community designed for the planetary science community. In particular, it is for those who do not regularly utilize radio data in their research.
An overview of the NRAS facilities and their instruments will be given, followed by broader talks that describe the variety of observations possible.
For more information, please see https://science.nrao.edu/php/nrao-cd-dps/index.phpBack to top.10. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletterTo submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org
All material will be posted unless you tell us otherwise, including your email address.
When submitting a job posting for inclusion in the newsletter, please include a one-line description and a link to the full job posting.
Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above. Back to top.11. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletterJoin AAS Women List by email:
Send email to aaswlist+subscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have subscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like.
Be sure to follow the instructions in the confirmation email. (Just reply back to the email list)
To unsubscribe by email:
Send email to aawlist+unsubscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have UNsubscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like.
To join or leave AASWomen via web, or change your membership settings: https://groups.google.com/a/aas.org/group/aaswlist
You will have to create a Google Account if you do not already have one, using https://accounts.google.com/newaccount?hl=en
Google Groups Subscribe Help: http://support.google.com/groups/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=46606Back to top.12. Access to Past Issueshttp://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to aaswlist+unsubscribe@aas.org. Back to top.